Keys Rewrite
by dazai-san
Summary: After centuries of being forgotten, Fiore has discovered Shinigami Keys once more. After centuries of being forgotten, Soul Society has discovered Fiore once more. Lucy Heartphilia summons Hitsugaya Toshiro, and the barrier between the worlds is broken, and with it, a seal has broken, revealing once more a deadly enemy. [NOT H/L]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I thank all of my reviewers of _Keys_ and those who favorited/followed. Reviewers: lovemagi101, YAY, Neon Wish, GirlFish, GodofGreed, shirayuki no scarlet, CyberBlueEyes, Shirooka Yuki, pie480, lovestotoro, Line464d, FairyTail123, missinsane, Nami-ru12, sexyblossom08, Marikalay, ZERO, Esprgirl, Las, 2Nerdzz, leo . alonso . 35, Fairy Flame Key, Guest, Crazy Red Fox, Syl The tWins, hopelessromantic, Shimmer712, and TheBlackSeaReaper

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I apologize if I spelled your username incorrectly.

Alright. I decided to rewrite _Keys_. If you're a new reader, DO NOT look at the original if you don't want spoilers. I'm actually kinda excited. I hope to write the story better this time, and without further ado, the warnings. [Please note that this version of the story will be DARKER.]

**Warnings:** Swearing, violence, OOC, heterosexuality, possible homosexuality, major OC, me being the author, me needing a beta, the works.

**Pairings:** major Natsu/Lucy, Hitsugaya/Hinamori, mild Gajeel/Levy, Ichigo/Rukia and others.

**Timeline: **Slight AU for FT. Post Tartarus Arc, but Fairy Tail doesn't disband. Post Thousand Year Blood War Arc; expect quite a few characters not to appear.

ALRIGHT PEOPLE.

~oOo~

"Alright, we should be discussing who should take the places in the holes in our ranks." The Captains' Meeting has just begun three minutes ago, and Hitsugaya already feels like he's about to fall asleep. Looking around for something, _something_, to keep him occupied so he doesn't pass out in the middle of the Captains' Meeting, he remembers just how few of the Captains are left.

Glancing around again, he sees that Zaraki, standing across from him, is sleeping standing up with his eyes open. How the hell does he _do _that?

"I think Kuchiki-fukutaicho should take over the Thirteenth Division," Hitsugaya hears Soifon speak up. "She _has_ achieved Bankai, after all."

"I disagree." Heads swivel towards the older Kuchiki. "She may be powerful, but she does not have the necessary skill to perform the tasks that Captaincy demands. Being fukutaicho for now should be satisfactory. This applies to Abarai-fukutaicho as well."

Soifon snorts in annoyance. "Yes, and I suppose we should ask that Kurosaki kid for help?" she shoots back.

"No," Kuchiki replies. "He is a human, as you should know. And half Quincy."

"There is still the matter of Aizen to consider," Hitsugaya hears himself speak, and he's surprised by the lack of anger in his voice; hell, he doesn't think he hates him anymore. Just pure neutrality. "If we cast him back into hell even after the help he gave us, we would be considered ungrateful. However, we cannot allow him full reign over his powers either. Allowing him to regain his Captaincy is also out of the question."

Then everyone in the room—with the exception of the sleeping Zaraki, of course—turn to look at him. "You are quite correct, Hitsugaya-taichou, but—"

Hitsugaya never hears the ending to that sentence when he feels a tug and he disappears.

~oOo~

He ends up landing on his face.

Immediately, as soon as he gains his bearings and stands up, he feels a Hollow's reiatsu. Hitsugaya turns and a pure white mask looms right in front of his face.

"Holy mother of god what the fuck where the hell am I why the hell is there a Hollow in my face god what the fuck?" He jumps back as the Hollow lashes out at him and he draws Hyourinmaru, leaping back at it and cutting into its mask. With a screeching cry, it dies. (A second time.)

Once it disintegrates completely, he can see a pair of girls, one with blonde hair and one with dark blue hair. The shorter one—the one with blue hair—looks about twelve and is taller than him (goddammit!) and the blonde looks about seventeen.

They stare at him with wide eyes. "Um…where am I?" Hitsugaya asks, in a much calmer tone, now that he isn't being assaulted by a giant soul-eating creature.

The blonde blinks. "You're in Fiore. In a cave."

"I can see that we're in a cave. But where's Fiore?"

"It's the largest continent," the little girl says. "But I suppose that being a Shinigami Key summon, you might not know that…"

Hitsugaya quickly gathers that he's in a foreign continent called Fiore (that doesn't exist in "his world"), he's in a cave, he's been mistaken as a "summon", and he's shit confused. (Dang, he's been spending way too much time around Kurosaki. He's swearing too much.)

"I am Hitsugaya Toshiro. It's nice to meet you, I suppose."

"I'm Lucy Heartphilia, pleased to meet you," says the blonde. "This is Wendy Marvel." She gestures to the younger.

"I'm Carla." He just notices the white cat standing on the ground.

"…so, cats here can talk or something?"

Marvel shakes her head. "No, Carla is an Exceed from Edolas."

Hitsugaya just realizes he hasn't sheathed Hyourinmaru. He does so now, if only to make the conversation a little lighter. "…are those your friends?" he asks, pointing to the only opening of the cavern.

"Lucy! Wendy! Carla!" shouts a rather loud voice. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. We're fine, Natsu! Did you find anything?"

"Nope! But I smell somebody weird." A _pink_ haired _boy_ of around Heartphilia's age runs into the cavern, his nose twitching. Is this person freaking homosexual? (Not that there is anything wrong with homosexuality, but why _pink?_ The only male he knows of that has pink hair is the Arrancar Szayel, and even so he isn't sure of the dead Arrancar's sexuality.)

Then Hitsugaya realizes the boy said he smelled weird. Is that supposed to be an insult? "Excuse me, did you say I _smell weird?_" Hinamori always says he smells nice. Like an especially cold morning, or after a rain or blizzard. Or mostly snow.

Marvel blinks. "Don't mind him. He's a dragon slayer, so his nose is sharper than most. I am too, so don't take it as an insult. You smell like fresh snow."

"Oh. Okay."

"Who is it, flame-brain?"

"Who're you calling a flame-brain, you icy prick?"

"Natsu, Gray, are you arguing?"

"No!"

Hitsugaya stares as a half-naked boy and a girl in armor along with a _flying _cat walk (or fly, in the cat's case) into the cavern. "Excuse me for asking, but _where the hell are your clothes?_"

"Agh! Shit!"

"Lucy, who is this?"

"Oh, this is the Shinigami Key's summon. I mean, I think he's only about ten, but honestly, he took out that monster…"

His eyebrow twitches. "You'll excuse me for saying so, but I am _not_ ten years old. I'm ten times that, and then some. The name is Hitsugaya Toshiro. Yours?"

"How are you over a hundred years old? Gray Fullbuster," the stripper adds after a second thought.

"I'm dead. How do you expect a soul to age?"

"You're _dead?_ Natsu Dragneel, and the cat is Happy."

"Yes I am. Do you _know_ what Shinigami means? You summoned me with a Shinigami Key!"

"No, we don't. Erza Scarlet."

Hitsugaya buries his face in his hands. "I think we have a lot to talk about."

Scarlet nods. "Then I know the place to go."

~oOo~

"You spelled the 'tale' in Fairy Tale wrong. Did you do that purposefully?" Hitsugaya comments, pointing to the sign above the building.

Marvel blinks and gives him a strange look. "What are you talking about? Fairy Tail is Fairy Tail."

Hitsugaya lets the matter drop.

"Yo! You're back?" A woman, cradling a barrel of something—please, _not_ sake!—waves at them as they enter. "Who's the midget?"

He forces himself not to draw his sword and Hyourinmaru her ass.

"Where I am from, it is polite to introduce yourself before asking the other's name," he replies. "This includes people you wish to make friends with, people you speak with, people you buy from, people you trade with, people you sell to, enemies, and people you are trying to kill. We _do_ have a code of honor."

The woman stares for a moment before bursting out into laughter—oh god, it _is_ sake, or at least a form of alcoholic fluid! "The kid's got spunk! The name's Cana Alberona."

"Hitsugaya Toshiro. And as I stated to these people—" he gestures to the people who brought him here "—I am a century of age, and then some. Before you ask, I am _dead,_ a Shinigami, in a sense immortal, and confused. I wish to understand how this 'summoning' works, and I wish to go home before Hinamori and my higher-up go ballistic on me."

_Actually, they'll go ballistic on me no matter how fast I get home at this point,_ he thinks glumly. _My afterlife sucks._ And there he goes again, using slang and swear words; he really needs to stop hanging around Kurosaki.

_Are you blaming me for the ideas to meet him, though?_

_Yes, Hyourinmaru._

Before Alberona can say anything more, the team drags him over to the bar—why, he hates these things!—and sits him down. A white haired female, the color much like his own, smiles warmly and passes him a glass of water.

"I'm Mirajane Strauss. It's nice to meet you, Hitsugaya," she says kindly. And thank god he didn't introduce himself as "Toshiro Hitsugaya". It would be a disaster if he is to be referred as "Toshiro" or even worse, "Shiro-chan". Dammit, Hinamori!

"Same here. Now, do you know much about the 'summoning' thing?" Rrgh, he sounds _way_ too much like Kurosaki!

"I'm the Celestial Spirit Mage," Heartphilia interjects. "I summoned you with this key, a Shinigami Key." She passes it to him, and he takes it, studying it carefully.

It's pitch black with a blue-white dragon bearing similarities to Hyourinmaru wrapped around where you would hold the key. The dragon's bright red eyes seem to glare at the holder of the key.

He hands it back to her. "…so, do you know how to send me back home?"

Heartphilia shakes her head sheepishly. "Normally, a Celestial Spirit would drain on my energy until they leave of their own will, or I can forcibly close a gate. But your key doesn't drain on me at all, and it there isn't a gate you came through; you came through a huge circular door."

Ah! The Senkaimon! Then this world is one of the many other passageways he had noticed while running through the Dangai…

Hitsugaya stands, pushing in his chair. "Thank you. I've figured out the basic way to go home now."

"Won't you stay a little longer?" Strauss asks imploringly. "We enjoy your company."

"I'm afraid I cannot," Hitsugaya replies, not unkindly. "The last time I came home late from a mission, Hinamori tried to strangle me."

"Mission? Who's Hinamori?" pipes up another white haired girl, this time with a pixie cut. He assumes she's another Strauss.

"You have my sincerest apologies, but I must be going now." Hitsugaya draws his Zanpakuto, startling many of the people in the guild, and opens the Senkaimon, hopping in and hearing it close behind him before heading back to Soul Society. He's going to get an earful.

~oOo~

He's actually rather surprised when he enters the First Division quarters to see that the Captains' Meeting is still going on, but there are tables and chairs dragged in, and the captains are eating calmly and talking.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-taichou. You're back. How was your trip to Fiore?" Kyoraku asks, not looking up from his food.

"…Interesting," he replies, taking a random seat next to Kuchiki.

"I should think so. Kurotsuchi-taichou investigated the trail you left behind and declared that you had gone to Fiore, a place that has not been explored in centuries."

Hitsugaya sets his elbows on the table and buries his face in them. "They ask too many questions."

~oOo~

"Never do that again, Hitsugaya-kun!"

Hinamori _still_ hasn't let go of his neck despite his protests of "let go" and "you're choking me!"

"I can't _choose_ when that lady summons me, Hinamori! Let go!"

"Then tell her when you aren't and are available!"

"Alright, _fine_, if I actually get a chance to if you aren't strangling me!"

"Hinamori-fukutaicho. I believe Hitsugaya-taichou's face is turning blue, and we need all of our captains as of now. Please let go."

Reluctantly, she lets go and Hitsugaya silently thanks Kyoraku.

"You can continue your lovers' spat somewhere else and at a later date, when we are not having a lack of captains. Feel free to strangle him all you like then."

_Kyoraku you asshole._ Hitsugaya glares daggers at Kyoraku, teal eyes showing clear irritation.

Hinamori smiles brightly at this.

"Alright, so now that you know what this Fiore is all about, you can go have some fun in the Tenth Division Barracks," Kyoraku says cheerfully, ushering the two of them out. "Don't forget to use protection."

"Oh good god, Kyoraku-sotaichou! I am _not_ going to have sex with Hinamori! I'd like to stay a virgin for the next few centuries!"

~oOo~

**A/N:** …as you can see, quite different. My sense of humor has changed. I hope you enjoyed…I actually enjoyed writing this, haha.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello! I now have a beta for this story, Under Celestial Stars! ^^ I hope the quality of this fic will be a little better and that you will enjoy a little more. By the way…this chapter's kinda dark. Be warned.

_Warnings, Pairings, etc. are in the first chapter._

Three days later is the second time he is called to the continent of Fiore.

This time it is while he is working on his paperwork, having hidden all of Matsumoto's sake and blocked off all her exits with ice so she is forced to work. (This includes the door, the trapdoor under his desk, the windows, the door to his room, and the roof. Yes, the roof.)

He lands on his feet this time, which he is actually quite pleased about. Falling on his face was painful, not to mention absolutely disgraceful and very humiliating.

"You called?" Hitsugaya asks in a deadpan voice. "What do you want?" He senses no immediate threat so why did she call him out?

They are in a living room and he just landed on her coffee table. Hastily—yet still managing to retain his dignity—he steps off of it. The blue talking cat known as Happy and the pink haired—homosexual?—boy called Dragneel from before are there with the blonde girl.

"It worked!" Dragneel exclaims happily, grinning and showing extremely sharp canines. Beside him, the cat jumps up and down on the coffee table.

Heartphilia, sitting next to him, sighs and shakes her head in exasperation. Hitsugaya cannot find it within himself to disagree with her irritation. "Of course it worked, Natsu," she sighs. She turns to him and picks up a pad of paper and a pencil. "Now, for you Hitsugaya, I called you out to get what times I can call you. Basically, a contract. Because I don't want to call you in your night clothes."

"That sounds wonderful," Hitsugaya replies dryly. "Your time zone, luckily, is the same as mine, so unless you are in a dire situation and require my help, you should not call me from twelve a.m. to five a.m. These are my sleeping hours. Then you have my Captain Meetings which are random, so if you call me in the middle of one it cannot be helped. After that, seven to seven thirty a.m. is my breakfast, eleven thirty to twelve a.m. is my lunch break, and six to seven p.m. is my dinnertime. I will contact you every time I have a mission so you do not call me in the time period I am on one. As Kurotsuchi has already found the exact directions to this place, I can find this place quite easily. Are we clear?"

Heartphilia nods, setting the paper and pencil back down. "Thank you, Hitsugaya," she says sincerely, smiling warmly.

"If that is all, I will be leaving." Hitsugaya turns and draws his sword, opening the Senkaimon. _I should _really_ bring a Hell Butterfly with me,_ he thinks dejectedly. _Then I wouldn't have to run all the way through the Dangai._

* * *

Shuuhei has heard that Hitsugaya-taichou disappeared three days ago but came back very soon. Of course he has; at this point the entire Seireitei knows. Then he hears about this new place called Fiore, and Shinigami Keys. And then Kurotsuchi-taichou came banging at his door yesterday, demanding to get an article in his newspaper.

(That definitely went well.)

At this point, the entire Seireitei is excited, all anticipating when their keys will be found and they are sent to this _Fiore._ Well, not Shuuhei, because he has a lot of work to do…actually, he doesn't. He's gotten so used to carrying out the duties of a captain that he nearly forgot he has a captain. But still.

But Shuuhei doesn't expect to be the second Shinigami to be summoned. No. Not at all. And especially not when he's talking to Muguruma-taichou!

(Curse his luck. But hey, at least Kazeshini is still strapped to his waist.)

* * *

How did he get into this mess again? Oh yeah. He got summoned and somehow was tied up and gagged, not to mention injured, pretty badly at that. Now he's hanging from the ceiling upside down with Kazeshini lying uselessly on the floor below him. Goddammit.

Shuuhei breathes through the gag_**. **_Damn thing is gross, but he pushes it to the back of his mind, his eyes analyzing the area; it's a cave. There is nobody there, and he has no idea who his captor is and who brought him here. It's also quite dark, but he can sense the reiatsu of something that is definitely not human; it is similar to his captain's and that Kurosaki kid's, but definitely different.

"Are you awake, Shi-ni-ga-mi-san?" coos a strange voice, and Shuuhei can't tell if it's male or female. It seems to be rough as sandpaper but smooth as silk at the same time. It laughs. "Of course you're awake, Shi-ni-ga-mi-san." Shuuhei finds the constant dragging of "Shinigami" irritating but he can't voice it.

In the darker half of the cavern something shifts and stands. Shuuhei can't make out the details of the person's face but as they head into the brighter side, Shuuhei can tell she's female, with amber locks and a long flowing black cloak, her eyes a violent scarlet like freshly spilled blood. His blood runs cold as ice when he sees her sclera is black.

_A Vizard? No…it can't be, her eye whites are black in human form. But what is she? _Thoughts race through his mind like a mouse on a wheel.

"Hello, Shinigami-san!" she singsongs cheerfully, smiling brightly. Shuuhei sees that her canines are longer and sharper than normal. "Your blood is delicious, by the way. It works quite well as supplement for me."

She huffs in annoyance. "I wish I didn't have to keep that gag on," she complains. "Then I could hear you scream. Or at least _reply_. But _nooooooo_, Aku-sama said I had to keep the gag on! What's the deal with _that_?"

Shuuhei watches her with no little amount of disgust and horror as she giggles at the prospect of doing horrible things…but at this point he should be used to it. Damn himself! He curses himself to hell and back and back to hell again for not learning Bankai by now.

"Oh, wait!" She halts abruptly. "I'm Amaya!" _Rainy night._ Amaya spins around in a circle, laughing giddily as she reaches into her cloak and pulls out a katana… no. A Zanpakuto. She smiles wickedly. "This one here used to be Emi tte Kuno… laughing agony. I liked it so much I took it from its Shinigami."

Amaya strokes a finger along the blade, a psychotic smile dancing on her face. "Ahh. Now this one is called _Amaya__…_the same as me!" Again she flashes those canines.

Shuuhei works it out quickly but he doesn't want to believe it. He watches with thinly veiled horror as Amaya runs her tongue along Emi tte Kuno…or rather, the ex-Emi tte Kuno. Whatever Amaya is, and whatever Emi tte Kuno is now, it is nothing Shuuhei has ever experienced before.

Amaya kicks Kazeshini away and the blade skitters into the wall as she advances, a drop of saliva slipping off the blade that is pointed at him. "Now…" she croons, her tongue licking her lips. "I want to see your face twisted in agony. I want to see you _break_ like an old toy… and once Aku-sama allows it… I want to hear you _scream._"

He's figured it out now.

Amaya—and very possibly this Aku-sama—is a Hollow that possesses a Zanpakuto… and its Shinigami.

Curse his luck.

~oOo~

"_What?_ Shuuhei still hasn't returned yet?" Renji demands, slamming his hands on the table as he leans over it. Nanao shakes her head.

"But this was over three _days_ ago!" Rangiku exclaims, looking outraged. "Taichou came back within _one_! Isn't there a problem if he hasn't come back? Kurotsuchi-taichou made sure to notify all Shinigami of the way back! And Shuu's a _very_ careful person."

At this point, even Yachiru is silent, having picked up on the mood.

Nanao clears her throat. "This isn't our only problem, I am afraid. His reiatsu disappeared off the radar as well; you should know that Hitsugaya-taichou's reiatsu didn't just _disappear_, it disappeared _and_ reappeared in an unknown area. Hisagi-fukutaicho's reiatsu completely disappeared and has not been sensed since."

"Then what's Kyoraku-sotaichou waiting for?" Renji growls, looking royally pissed. "Why hasn't he sent anyone to find Shuuhei?"

Izuru speaks up. "As much as I hate it, we can't go venturing in blind and without any information."

Renji snorts. "If he doesn't hurry it up, I'll go myself and drag his ass back home!"

"I am afraid that it gets worse," Nanao continues grimly. "It seems that at the same time that Hitsugaya-taichou was summoned to Fiore, a seal was broken. Kurotsuchi-taichou studied it, but I do not know the full details. Kurotsuchi-fukutaicho, if you would."

Nemu stands and bows politely before beginning. "Mayuri-sama, while realizing that Hitsugaya-taichou had gone to Fiore, had also discovered a strange… void. It seems like Fiore was sealed away from the Seireitei for many years, and at first Mayuri-sama thought Fiore was being sealed away. But later research revealed that sealing Fiore away from the Seireitei was a price; a price to seal something else away, and thus the reason why Shinigami Keys are so hard to find, as they were what would open this seal. Miss Lucy Heartphilia of Fiore summoned Hitsugaya-taichou and thus destroyed this seal. However we were too late in trying to find what was being sealed as they had already been gone." The lieutenant sits down quietly.

There is a while of silence as they quietly digest this information. Nanao is the one to break the quiet. "The situation is not looking up for us. However, we lived through the Quincy War, albeit not unscathed, so I _know_ we'll make it through this."

There is no response to her proclamation and they leave the room mutely.

The Lieutenant's Meeting draws to a grim close.

**A/N:** And that concludes the second chapter of the rewrite of Keys!


	3. Chapter 3

_New warning: there will be homosexuality but you can read it as close friendship if you'd like. All other things are in the first chapter._

~oOo~

"I am afraid I cannot help you on that." Hitsugaya sips a cup of tea the oldest Strauss—who is currently in the kitchen—had made for him, sitting on the counter. "We have only recently rediscovered Fiore, as you know, and even if I were to ask a random Shinigami where their key is, they would not be able to tell me because of a lack of knowledge."

"Ah, pity," Heartphilia sighs, leaning back against said counter, blonde hair splaying over the wood. "If I could just get a few more keys…!"

Scarlet replies scathingly, "Then wouldn't that be considered being lazy, Lucy? Just asking where their keys are?" Hitsugaya decides that he likes this human if only because she's loyal, hardworking, honest, and strong, even if she likes strawberry cake far too much.

"Take a couple higher ranked missions," Hitsugaya grumbles, setting his now empty teacup on the counter. "You should find higher ranked keys there. It'll provide excellent training for you, and the reward is a good motivation. Also, I believe your rent is due in six days. Your entire portion of money was spent on writing materials, including that Lacrima allows you to type—humans where I am from refer to that as a typewriter."

Heartphilia makes a shrill sound; nobody is there to give her a funny look so Hitsugaya rolls his eyes. "You're right! I need to pay my rent this month! But Hitsugaya… it was on sale, and I love writing!" she whines as if this has anything to do with him. "Besides, how did you even figure this stuff out?"

"What you spend your money on does not concern me; I am not your mother. I am merely rather well informed. Your friend Dragneel complained to me last week about having to carry a typing Lacrima, and I assumed you spent your entire extra allowance on that item. Additionally, Scarlet told me when your rent is due. We haven't gone on any missions this past week. I merely put two and two together and I figured you still haven't paid your rent."

"Wow!" Dragneel chirps innocently. "You're really smart!"

"Everybody seems smart to you, considering your lack of brains," Fullbuster grumbles, chewing on whatever he had ordered.

"Why you little…" Dragneel begins, jumping up and looking royally pissed off.

"Are you arguing, Gray, Natsu?" Scarlet asks, not looking up from her strawberry cake. "I'm sure we can fix that little habit of yours together…"

Marvel and her cat watch from their seats at the table, the cat sipping her tea and completely ignoring the male cat's advances on her while her owner—per se—sighs. "Natsu and Gray are at it again."

"No we're not!" said people exclaim. "We're friends, don't you see?"

Hitsugaya jumps off the counter, landing on his feet silently as he heads for the S-class board, skimming his teal eyes over the papers tacked to it. Only a few of them contain a reward with a Shinigami Key. He picks what appears to be the hardest one, flash stepping back to them.

"Here." Hitsugaya shoves the paper into Scarlet's hands. "Take this one. I'll be heading back to Soul Society now; I wish you luck. Call me only in the most dire of situations. If you find somebody being held hostage there, call me. If you discover any Shinigami Key, call me. Do you understand?"

Heartphilia nods briskly. "Okay." With that, Hitsugaya summons a Hell Butterfly and opens the Senkaimon to give him access to the Soul Society.

_I am not associated with Hisagi very well,_ he muses to himself. _However, I _do_ know that he is loyal, hardworking, kind, strong, and has excellent leadership skills… he's good with people, but has low self-esteem…_

"_**Are you worried for him? Or are you worried Muguruma Kensei will go on a rampage?"**_Hyourinmaru speaks up, listening in on Hitsugaya's thoughts.

Hitsugaya considers it. _I suppose I mean both. But I hope he'll be found soon. It's been nearly two weeks._

~oOo~

"No news, Hitsugaya-kun?"

As a response, he shakes his head. "I do not understand what could have kept a lieutenant away for nearly two weeks. Clearly, there is a new enemy at work; perhaps the seal you mentioned during the lieutenant's meeting."

Hinamori nods, taking a seat next to him. "Yes. Ise-san did say the situation is grave. I hope we find him soon… he is a very kind person, and I'd hate to lose him; the Gotei 13 needs more Shinigami like him."

Hitsugaya dips his head in agreement. "I am going off to rest. I sincerely hope the situation isn't dire, where those mages are at. I would hate to be interrupted in the midst of sleeping."

~oOo~

It's four hours before he is called, and he manages to get a nap, lunch, and plenty of paperwork done during this time period. He lands on his feet with practiced ease, sensing no killing intent or danger, so he assumes automatically that he's been summoned because of the key.

"You called?" Heartphilia holds out a Shinigami Key, letting Hitsugaya take it. None of the mages seem too injured, but Marvel is currently bent over Dragneel, healing several light injuries that don't look too bad.

It's pitch black and shiny—as all Shinigami Keys are designed as; however, this one is the mirror image of a key, distorted. A hollow mask decorates half of it, and Hitsugaya raises an eyebrow. "This one is Captain Hirako Shinji of the Fifth Division…"

Heartphilia takes the key back from Hitsugaya. "Do you think we can call him around now?" she asks, tilting her head slightly.

"Last I checked, he wasn't busy. I suppose you can." Hitsugaya watches to see what Hirako's reaction will be to being summoned in the midst of his paperwork… that is, if he doesn't dump it all on Hinamori. (If he does, then Hitsugaya will have a lovely time torturing him to reincarnation.)

"I summon thee, Shinigami!"

Much to Hitsugaya's endless amusement—although he hides it well—Hirako lands on his face; just like him. "Hello, Hirako," he says dully. "Welcome to Fiore."

"Motherfucking _god_. The fuck's going on here?" Hirako demands, brushing dirt off his face. "I was just doing paperwork and now I'm in a place I'm not familiar with."

"Hirako. Please clean that mouth of yours."

Hirako grins, showing very flat and very white and very straight teeth. (Kind of like a horse.) He walks over and musses up Hitsugaya's hair. "Ah. If it ain't the pipsqueak. You shouldn't be preaching to me when I'm a couple of centuries older than you!"

"I also happen to be more familiar with Fiore and have held the Captaincy position rather well, Hirako," Hitsugaya retorts in a deadpan tone, the temperature dropping a little. "Additionally, my mouth is cleaner than yours."

Hitsugaya _does_ realize that he is being a hypocrite—he spewed out a stream of swearing when he first arrived, after all—but then again, there was a _Hollow_ in his _face_ so it's justified.

"So! Who're you?" Hirako asks, turning to the mages. "I'm Captain Hirako Shinji of the Fifth, nice to meet you."

"Um, Lucy Heartphilia," says the Celestial mage, looking at Hirako nervously. "I summoned you here."

"Wendy Marvel, and this is Carla."

"Natsu Dragneel!"

"Aye! I'm Happy!"

Hirako goggles at the Exceed. "Cats can talk here? Hitsugaya—Shihoin does not count. And I thought cats walked on _four_ legs. Okay, am I wrong or something?"

"Aye! I'm an Exceed from Edolas!" Happy says cheerfully, smiling widely.

But as quickly as Hirako gains interest in Happy, he loses it in favor of Fullbuster. "Hey! I feel violated, and _you're_ the one naked!" he exclaims, slapping a hand over his eyes. "Sure, you might be eye candy for gay guys and straight _girls_ but stop!"

"Oh shit! Where the hell did my clothes go?!" Fullbuster nearly screeches, looking around frantically as Dragneel cackles in amusement. Scarlet sighs and helps look around for Fullbuster's clothing.

"The stripper is Fullbuster Gray," Hitsugaya remarks to Hirako, "and the red haired one is Scarlet Erza. The former has a strange tendency to strip without realizing it…"

"How does that even work?" Hirako asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know."

Heartphilia clears her throat. "Um, I want to make a contract with you, Hirako. Like, when can I call you and when can I not?"

"Ah, what's the time zone difference?" Hirako asks Hitsugaya, tilting his head.

"Luckily, we have the same time zone," Hitsugaya answers.

"Ah, then you can't call me from eleven am to one pm, and nine pm to seven am. That's all," Hirako says cheerfully. "Remember that? Good. Now, how do I get home? Hinamori-chan will be _pretty_ mad at me for ditching work."

As a response, Hitsugaya summons a Hell Butterfly and opens a Senkaimon. "Like this." Then he jumps through, calling over his shoulder, "Remember what I said!"

Then Hirako joins him and the door closes behind them.

~oOo~

"Juushiro!"

Said white haired Captain of the Thirteenth turns around, seeing his friend waving. "Ah, Shunsui. What can I do for you today?" he says, smiling warmly.

"Did somebody find your… ah… key?" Shunsui inquires, adjusting that ridiculous—but quite fitting for his character, —hat upon his head.

"Yes, indeed! You noticed that I disappeared from yesterday's Captain's meeting, didn't you?" The two companions stroll along the large buildings, the wide expanse of night sky and stars providing light to see.

"Who is it?" Shunsui asks, curious.

"A lovely little girl called Yukino; she's white haired—not unlike mine, actually!—and really does care for her friends; her guild mates, I suppose," Juushiro replies easily. "She was quite surprised when she summoned an old man like me." He laughs slightly.

"As long as you aren't summoned by some nasty old hag. I don't think any of us would like that, to be honest. Speaking of which, did you, by chance, discover Hisagi-fukutaicho during your trip to Fiore?" The conversation turns serious.

"Unfortunately, no. I don't know what could keep Shuuhei away for nearly three weeks now," Juushiro answers. "But I do know that he's strong, and that he'll survive… at least that's what I'd like to believe. The enemy that was sealed away along with the opening to Fiore may be more powerful that we imagined."

Juushiro sighs, turning his face up to the stars. "I do feel sorry for Muguruma-taichou; I know he and Shuuhei were—_are_—especially close. Shuuhei _is_ a very nice person, after all."

"Sometimes I wonder what old man Yama would do," Shunsui responds. "And I wonder why he never did tell us about this Fiore. If he did, then we might have a chance of figuring out where Hisagi-fukutaicho might be."

~oOo~

**A/N:** Well. That brings a close to the third installment of the rewrite. :3 I just don't think this chapter was up to par for some reason; oh well. But I still do hope you enjoyed it. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll try and explain it! :D Feel free to ask.


	4. Chapter 4

_Warnings, pairings, etc., all in previous chapter(s)._

_**I am congratulating myself for getting 2 stories updated within 24 hours.**_

~oOo~

"Are you sure you want me with you?"

Sting blinks. "Why wouldn't we? You're an awesome teammate. Besides, you're nice."

Yukino blushes slightly from the praise. "Oh. Okay. But what about Rogue?"

"Ah, he's the one who suggested that you come along, so no problem with him. Come on! Besides, we invited Lucy and Natsu and Happy from Fairy Tail, so it'll be a blast."

Still slightly hesitant, Yukino nods. "Um, okay. I'll go then, if it's not too much trouble."

"Be a little more confident, Yukino! You'll get a new key, as well!"

~oOo~

The first time Hitsugaya meets the two dragon slayers of Sabertooth, he immediately dislikes them. Well, the Light Dragon Slayer in particular.

"Hey, who's the midget? I don't recall a new kid joining your guild."

Hitsugaya's eye twitches. "Where I am from, it is only polite to introduce yourself before you ask the other of their name. Additionally, I am not a _kid_, and I did not join Fairy Tail. Which I still think is spelled wrong."

"My bad. I'm Sting Eucliffe. Nice to meet you." He looks amused. "Then who exactly are you?"

"Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro of the Tenth Division of the Gotei Thirteen. I would say I am pleased to meet you but that would be lying, and I would like to consider myself honest. I am a Shinigami, a coworker of the key your friend Agria Yukino owns. This makes me _older_ than you, which means that your use of the term 'kid' to define me would be incorrect." He turns to the other dragon slayer. "And what is your name?"

The dark haired one just blinks. "Rogue Cheney. This is Frosch." He points to a green cat wearing a pink frog suit. "The other one is Lector." A red cat waves at him cheerfully.

"Jeez, you're kinda stiff, aren't you?" Eucliffe grumbles.

"He's just like that," Heartphilia says in an apologetic tone. "You'll get used to it."

Dragneel isn't saying anything, and when Hitsugaya glances at him, he can tell he's dreading the time for the train ride. Happy looks sheepish.

Hitsugaya turns to Agria. "Call Ukitake out. It is best to be prepared, especially since this mission has a relatively high ranking."

Said girl nods and calls, "I summon thee, Shinigami!"

The Senkaimon appears, with Ukitake appearing and landing on his feet gracefully. When he spots Hitsugaya, his face breaks out into a smile. "Ah, my fellow Shiro-chan! I didn't expect you to be here!"

"Yes, you did," Hitsugaya deadpans, face remaining impassive. "Also, it is _Hitsugaya-taichou_, not Shiro-chan, Ukitake. At the very least Hitsugaya."

Ukitake takes it all in stride, laughing slightly when he notices Heartphilia and Dragneel along with Happy. "I am Ukitake Juushiro; pleased to meet you! Who are you three?"

"I'm Lucy Heartphilia. It's a pleasure to meet you," she says slightly awkwardly. "This is Natsu Dragneel… he's kinda bad with trains."

"Oh, like these two?" Ukitake gestures at Eucliffe and Cheney. "That means he's a Dragon Slayer am I correct?"

"I'm Happy," pipes up the cat. "It's nice to meet you."

"We should be going," Hitsugaya grumbles, "or else we'll be late for the train."

"I hate trains," Dragneel moans, but he drags himself after the rest, Heartphilia looking as if she doesn't know whether to be amused or annoyed.

~oOo~

"Wow," Ukitake says, blinking. "There seems to be quite the amount of Hollow reiatsu in this area… specifically that cave."

Hitsugaya shrugs slightly. "We should be able to take them. However, I sense a strange reiatsu in there. Slightly like the Vizards', but not quite."

_There is a Zanpakuto in there,_ Hyourinmaru rumbles, sounding troubled. _It is odd; it seems as if there are muted screams of a Zanpakuto in that cave._

Hitsugaya voices this aloud and Ukitake nods in agreement, as his Zanpakuto had warned him of the same thing.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Eucliffe asks, grinning like a madman.

"We go in through the front entrance," Hitsugaya deadpans once more. "Feel free to take out any monsters that are _not_ Hollows in there."

"What? Why?" Dragneel complains.

"If you did, you'd be destroying a soul, and we can't have that." Hitsugaya goes on ahead, drawing Hyourinmaru. "If you need help, call on Hirako, Heartphilia."

Heartphilia nods. "I'll try not to call on him though."

Dragneel grins. "I'm all fired up. Let's go!"

~oOo~

Turns out, there are quite a few demons added into the mix of Hollows. Lucy lashes out with her whip, having summoned Virgo to drop unsuspecting Hollows and demons alike into potholes to make the two Shinigami's job easier.

She pulls the demon ensnared in her whip closer to her before dropkicking him where it hurts most. These ones are nowhere near as strong as the demons at Tartarus were, and it's almost easy for her to take them out, but there seem to be so many.

Lucy risks a glance at the Shinigami who are slashing through demons and Hollows alike, the former disappearing with a poof and the latter disintegrating.

Sting and Rogue, like the twin dragon slayers they are, are plowing their way through the ranks of the demons and landing a couple punches on Hollow masks (of course, Sting swears loudly when he nearly dislocates his knuckles punching one of them while Rogue just grimaces.)

Yukino and her spirits defeat demons as well, taking them out with relative ease.

Natsu, being the freaking monster that he can be, is tearing through the ranks like scissors through laminated paper on his own, dealing brutal kicks and punches hard enough to incapacitate but not hard enough to kill.

Within five minutes, all the Hollows and demons have been taken out, and Lucy takes a moment to catch her breath.

Then, the sound of boots hitting the wet cavern ground catches all of their attention. Hitsugaya and Ukitake are immediately on guard, and Lucy is as well now, letting Virgo disappear in favor for Leo, or Loki.

Natsu's black eyes narrow when he sniffs the air, Sting and Rogue's as well. "She smells like blood," Natsu murmurs.

"Taichou-sama, taichou-sama…" A young girl with hair the color of amber and her eyes crimson with strangely black sclera. "Welcome to my humble abode, taichou-sama, taichou-sama. I'm afraid Aku-sama isn't here to play with you, but I am!"

Hitsugaya's teal eyes narrow as he readies his sword. "What are you?" he says lowly. "You have the reiatsu similar to that of a Vizard."

"How rude! I am Amaya, pleased to meet you! Where are your manners?"

"I do not need to nor want to abide by my system's honor code to somebody who has kept one of my comrades here for over three weeks," Hitsugaya retorts, his voice frighteningly icy.

"Ah, I see!" Amaya giggles before pointing her sword at him. "_Cero._"

"All waves, rise now and become my shield, lightning, strike now, and become my blade!" Ukitake calls, jumping in front of the blast as his sword changes shape. Lucy notices the changes to his sword that happen almost instantly and watches as he toys a little with the charms hanging from the ribbon attached to the swords.

The "Cero" disappears and then reappears, except this time it's returned to Amaya with more speed and power. Amaya's eyes widen briefly as her own attack is returned.

When the dust clears, Amaya is dusting herself off, coughing violently. "Well, taichou-sama, you seem to have a weird ability! I didn't know you were part Hollow."

Ukitake laughs. "No, I'm not. See if you can figure it out, little girl." He turns to the others briefly. "I can defeat her without too much trouble; go on ahead."

Hitsugaya shakes his head almost immediately. "_You_ should go on ahead," he disagrees. "Your illness might act up and if I am correct, Hisagi may be there. I don't know him personally, but you do."

Hesitating briefly, logic eventually wins out against duty and Ukitake nods. "Alright then."

"Hey, who said you could leave? I wasn't done playing with you yet!" Amaya whines but she has to block with her sword as Hitsugaya's clashes with hers.

"I said so. And I will dispose of you."

Lucy doesn't look back as she continues to head down deeper into the cave.

~oOo~

The first thing she notices is that there aren't many demons or Hollows in this stretch of area. There are perhaps four or five but no more than that.

The second is that it's fairly bright in here.

Lucy continues to run after the Dragon Slayers and the Shinigami, panting for breath and wondering just how the hell they can run so fast and not be out of breath. It seems that Yukino is in the same sinking boat.

Suddenly, Ukitake halts at a doorway, causing Lucy and Yukino to stumble into the Dragon Slayers in front of them.

Ukitake's normally warm brown eyes are cold as he forces the door open. Immediately Natsu gags and slaps a hand over his mouth and nose, and Lucy doesn't need ask why—the smell in the room is filled with the metallic stench of blood.

She hears a faint gasp come from Yukino, who's staring wide eyed at the chained figure on the floor, the most probable source of the blood.

Immediately, Ukitake steps forward and kneels next to the figure, urgently shaking it—Lucy cannot tell who or even _what_ it is—and murmuring, "Hisagi-fukutaicho, can you hear me?" to which the figure moans slightly in pain.

Frowning, Ukitake shatters the chains without too much difficulty using his sword (when it had returned to a single blade is beyond Lucy) and gathers the person up in his arms. "It seems that Hitsugaya-taichou is done," Ukitake murmurs.

~oOo~

Hitsugaya has to praise Kotetsu Isane for being able to push her emotions aside and start healing Hisagi whilst ignoring everything else.

He's currently sitting in a chair in the Tenth Division, having suffered no injuries. Surprisingly the Hollow-Shinigami-Zanpakuto wasn't hard to defeat… just incredibly annoying.

Frowning, Hitsugaya muses over what she said about being the "Heavenly Guardian". Certainly, he's heard the myths, but it is honestly… strange.

Turning to the blade wrapped in seals and cloth, Hitsugaya sighs. The blade had been the source of the _thing_'s power, and he intends to give it to Urahara at some point… and after he's finished, to Kurotsuchi.

"Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Come in, Hinamori."

Hinamori enters, shutting the door behind her and looking reasonably distraught. Hisagi _is_ her senpai, after all, and she has no little amount of respect for him. To see him in such a state is certainly horrible for her.

"Muguruma-taichou still hasn't left the Fourth Division," Hinamori says quietly, taking a seat on the couch that Hitsugaya joins her on, setting his pen and ink down. "But Kotetsu-fukutaicho says that his condition will stabilize after a little bit."

Taking a breath, Hitsugaya rests his hand on Hinamori's. The gesture isn't much but it conveys plenty and Hinamori rests her head on his shoulder. "Hisagi's definitely strong," Hitsugaya murmurs. "He'll heal, and he'll be fine, Hinamori. Don't be such a worrywart."

He feels her smile slightly. "It's in my nature, Hitsugaya-kun. I can't help it."

They stay like that for a while before Hitsugaya regretfully breaks the moment. "Hinamori, would you do me a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"Do some research on the Heavenly Guardian myth, please. I think it might help with this… incident. Because I don't think that _thing_ is the only, nor strongest, of its kind."

Hinamori is undoubtedly confused at this strange request, but nods and doesn't question it. "Okay, Hitsugaya-kun. I'm going to go check up on Hisagi-san before doing the rest of my paperwork. Don't work yourself too hard, Shiro-chan."

He watches as she leaves the room, letting her call him by that name without retribution just this once.

~oOo~

**A/N:** And that concludes my newest chapter peeps!

Reviews are appreciated. Flamers will only add to my review count. XD


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